*** ERIC BUSSIERE, MICHEL DUMOULIN, GILBERT TRAUSCH (Ed.): Europa. L'idée et l'identité européennes, de l'Antiquité grecque au XXIe siècle. Fonds Mercator (Antwerp. E-mail: livresdart@fondsmercator.be) and Fundacion Academia Europea de Yuste. 2001, 400 pp, 89.90 euros. ISBN 90-6153-484-4.
On rare occasions there are some books that are in themselves marvellous works of art. Such is the case with this book - a real masterpiece. The best talent has come together to produce this chef d'œuvre First of all, the publishers - Fonds Mercator, demonstrating on this occasion its ability to remain one of the leaders in art books. Around 400 illustrations, 300 of which are in colour, add a richness to the book and are used to their full advantage with a clever application of formatting, resulting in clarity and a feast for the eyes from page to page. Next, the authors: edited by an eminent troika from the academic world, the most gifted experts who wanted to use their writing for this editorial project which aims to work in the interests of Europe (rather than in its pay), and who guide us through an impressive quest for the sense of identity and citizenship.
Divided into five chapters, Europa underlines the happy diversity and shared heritage of Europe and the Europeans throughout time. As the co-ordinators explain in their forward, "the book is not a history of Europe but rather the history of the idea behind it and the history of European construction, taking into account the fundamental factors of each of the specific societies, cultures and European civilisations". The first seven chapters examine the foundation stones. Thus, the book opens with a contribution by Professor Wattels-de Croizant on the myth of "Europe's Abduction to Ancient Greece and Rome". This Mediterranean origin is but one of many, as Professor Régis Boyer testifies immediately afterwards in "Heroes, Myths and Nordic Cultural Symbols: the Vikings". Wim Blockman then goes onto describe, "The Fascination of Empire" (Rome, Charlemagne, Charles V, Suleyman the Magnificent). This is followed by Heinz Schilling and, "Europe of Churches and Confessionals", the origins of which are based in the dynamic diversity and creative pluralism throughout the different epochs and which have left their imprint on our continent. A contribution on "The Europe of Traders" by Roberto Fernandez Diaz is followed by "Europe of Enlightenment and Reason" by Dirk van der Cruysse and, "The Europe of Nations" by Javier Tusell.
In the eighth chapter Professor Dumoulin focuses on the evolution of the idea of Europe and its organisation during the Renaissance and the First World War. Thence follows, in chronological order (the inter-war period, the Second World War and the gradual birth of the institutions etc: ) and concludes with our current era and the development of countries within European construction since the moment this became a reality. The co-ordinators of the book ask whether the Nation-State will be abandoned as the regions rise in power, for which the paymaster and the scaffolding could be Europe. This is one key question amongst many others that forms the core of this book. The Convention is for the morrow…
Michel Theys
*** 2004 Quaderni Europei. Rubbettino Editore (10 viale dei Pini, I-88049 Soveria Mannelli (Catanzaro). Tel: (39-0968) 662034 - Internet: http://www.rubbettino.it ). November 2001, 403 pp, 12 euros. ISBN 88-498-0233-1.
This is the first issue of European Notes - a new journal produced by the Centro di Ricerca sulle Instituzioni Europee (CRIE) at the Instituto Universitario Suor Orsola Benincasa (IUSOB), which will be published as a quarterly. Gerardo Mombelli explains in his introduction that the magazine will focus on the future of Europe, as a means to make Italy's participation in this debate more intense and informed. The publication is edited by Pietro Craveri; Pier Virgilio and Gerard Mombelli, who bring together a series of declarations and important speeches made by Heads of State and governments and leading European politicians. It begins will an intervention made by Joschka Fischer to the Humboldt Universität in Berlin, in May 2000. The ideas of all the leaders from the different Member States, except for Ireland and Denmark, figure in the publication, as well as those of Renato Ruggiero during an Italian Parliamentary hearing on the future of Europe on 31 October 2001. In the introduction of this first issue of Quaderni, published before Mr Ruggiero's resignation, Gerardo Mombelli points out (page 13) that just at the moment when a number of taboos are being broken down in Europe, Italy, "so historically committed", is contributing so very little to the debate, despite the contributions made by the Italian President of the Republic and the initiatives taken by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Renato Ruggiero. Mombelli indicates that the Italian political class is sending out weak and contradictory signals.
(MG)
*** MICHAEL ORLANDINI: Transformation der Demokratie in Italien? Peter Lang (15 Jupiterstrasse, CH-3000 Berne 15. Tel/fax: (41-31) 9402131). "Europäische Hochschulschriften" series, No 428. 2001, 193 pp. ISBN 3-631-37608-1.
The collapse of the political party system at the beginning of the 1990s marked the end of an era for the Christian Democrat post-war set-up in Italy. In the wake of the toppling over of the political system in Central and Eastern Europe, the strongest opposition party, the Communist Party also underwent a transformation and "social democratisation". These changes have led the author to ask whether the parliamentary democracies, including those in France and Germany, risk a similar outcome. During his detailed analysis of the Italian political system, Michael Orlandini examines the different "sub-systems" and how they have changed over the years. A brief comparison reveals the various differences in the French and German political systems. The author considers that traditional modes of thinking have undergone profound changes since the end of the 1980s: the Western European democrats rose to the challenges and were able to rethink how their economic, political and social structures could be adapted. Nevertheless, the conclusions to this very comprehensive study on Italy (in particular) are very reassuring. Michael Orlandini suggests that a democracy as advanced as Italy will be able to withstand the massive transformations without the slightest danger, which would also in effect apply to a number of other EU Member States.
(CB)
*** ESTHER BETTINA NEUNREITHER: Die Interessenvertretung der Regionen bei der Europäischen Union. - Deutsche Länder, spanische Autonome Gemeinschaften und französische Regionen. Peter Lang (see above). "Beiträge zur Politikwissenschaft" series, No 79. 2001, 209 pp. ISBN 3-631-37560-3.
Created in 1993, the Committee of the Regions immediately attracted widespread attention, whereas when the 250 offices representing the different European regions opened in Brussels in the middle of the 1980s, the event almost passed unnoticed. The author aims to fill a particular void in this comparative and detailed study, by focusing on the offices and Permanent Representations of the German Länder, the French regions and Spanish autonomous communities to the European Union. The comparison aims to assess the different regional ways in which the European political process is influenced by Germany with its federal structure, France with its traditional centralism and Spain with its autonomous regions.
What opportunities and possibilities are open to the different regional actors in the Union decision-making process? What are the main objectives of the regional representations? What are the usual strategies of the regional actors in representing their interests within the Union decision-making process? What role does the Community grant to the regions? These are some of the issues that the author attempts to tackle in his comprehensive study in the six chapters of this publication. The first chapter looks at the definitions of the concept of a region and puts forward a number of theories on the different levels of the Community system. The following two chapters explore the manner in which the regions gradually invested in the Community field and how they function on the different national political levels. The fourth chapter illustrates the way in which the regions participate at European and national levels and the fifth examines the development of direct regional representation in their information offices in Brussels. the final chapter sheds light on the perspectives of enlargement and institutional reform.
(CB)
*** The Treaty of Nice in Perspective. Vol. 1 (Analysis), Vol. 2 (Consolidated Treaty of the European Union). British Management Data Foundation (Highfield, Longridge, Sheepscombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 7QU. Tel: (44-1452) 812837 - fax: 812527 - E-mail: bmdfstroud@cs.com). 2001, 240 pp. (Vol. 1), 256 pp. (Vol. 2), £35 (2 volumes). ISBN 0-9520-366-4-9 (Vol. 1); 0-9520-366-5-7 (Vol. 2).
In the tradition of its previous publications on the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties, the British Management Foundation provides a detailed and comparative analysis, as well as a comprehensive study of the new Treaty of Nice. One of the strengths in this book is the detailed synopses it provides of the themes it takes up in its articles on the Treaty of Rome, the Single Act, the Maastricht Treaty, Treaty of Amsterdam and the Treaty of Nice, in five columns. The general index and other documents such as, the Nice European Social Agenda, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Parliament Resolution on Nice help to complete this very useful book. These two volumes constitute a useful reference guide for all those who work in Community legal affairs and those who wish to trace the evolution of primary Community law and the European institutions since the Treaty of Rome up to the Treaty of Nice, in a way that is both easy and efficient..
(PB)
*** KOEN LENAERTS, PIET VAN NUFFEL: Constitutional Law of the European Union. Sweet & Maxwell (100 Avenue road, Swiss Cottage, London NW3 3PF. Internet: http: //http://www.smlawpub.co.uk ). 1999, 717 pp. ISBN 0-421-65180-6.
This book is a real encyclopaedia on law and Community legal practice. The book does not just provide a description of how things stand at an institutional level, the authors also demonstrate why, for example, the Commission does not have more power, how the relationship between the Council and European Parliament has developed, what is the Constitutional significance of the Court of Justice, what are the basic functions of the European Central Banking System, the European Central Bank and the importance of the European Social Fund. The most striking aspect of this book, as stressed in the preface by Lord Slynn of Hadley, is the analysis of the underlying principles. According to this former judge at the Court of Justice, the importance of Articles 2 and 3 of the Treaty, is too often ignored, which is not the case in this book. A number of expressions such as, "supra-nationality", "internal market" are examined in meticulous detail, as well as issues like the legal basis underpinning the institutions, the range of Union competencies, "subsidiarity" and "proportionality".
The first part of the book traces the history of integration before exploring the areas of Union jurisdiction, at the same time stressing the principles underlying the internal market and EMU. The third part of the book defines the legal status of the institutions, as well as their relations with each other. The decision-making process within the Union and the different origins of Community law constitute the essential part of the fourth and fifth parts, while Chapter Six largely elaborates the powers of the Union on the international stage and non-Community foreign policy.
(CB)
*** CHRISTIAN BOBBERT: Interinstitutionelle Vereinbarungen im Europäischen Gemeinschaftsrecht. Peter Lang (see above). "Europäische Hochschulschriften" series, No 3071. 2001, 162 pp. ISBN 3-631-37541-7.
Christian Bobbert's University of Bonn doctorate forms the cornerstone of this short book. In it, the author provides an assessment of the inter-institutional agreements within the Community legal framework, and thus attempts to make good this shortcoming. His starting point is that neither the EC treaty nor the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice sufficiently clarify the legal issues involved in the inter-institutional agreements. The author explores these issues that essentially spring from institutional practice, and stresses that existing documentation on the question still leaves the question wide open.
Dr Bobbert also seeks to elaborate a more general definition of the notion of an "inter-institutional agreement", as well as examining the most important agreements signed between 1964 and 1998. He looks at the issue of admissibility in Community law and these agreements and emphasises the possible limitations on the competencies of the Community institutions in these areas. The legal validity of the inter-institutional agreements is another issue the author seeks to address, insofar as determining the possible remit of the Luxembourg Court. Examination of this fundamental legal hot-potato is followed by a legal assessment of the most important agreements that have been signed, an evaluation that is based on the results that the author comes up with in his analysis.
(CB)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985, Luxembourg) has published the following documents:
*** Info€uro. Programme d'information de la Commission (Internet: http: europa.eu.int/euro). 2001, No 21, 11 pp.
This issue is entitled, "The Euro is Our Currency", and provides the reader with up-to-date knowledge on the subject. The other articles deal with a range of subjects and are as follows: "Beware Counterfeiters", "A New Currency - Stable Prices". Other themes include the Communication project of each Member State in the Euro-zone, the single currency and candidate countries, cross-border payments in euros…
*** Cordis focus. DG Enterprise (Fax: (352-4301) 32084 - E-mail: innovation@cec.eu.int - Internet: http://www.cordis.lu/news ). January 2002, No 189, 27 pp.
In this issue, President Prodi explains that research is a fundamental factor in the Lisbon strategy, which aims to help in the transformation to a knowledge-based society. The publication also examines the efforts made by candidate countries in gearing up to the enterprise society and the Union's attempts to encourage interaction between innovation, technology and venture capital…
*** The Voice of the Regions. Committee of the Regions (92-102 rue Montoyer, B-1000 Brissels. Fax: (32-2) 2822085 - Internet: http: //http://www.cor.eu.int ). 2001, No 4, 2 pp.
This issue takes a look at the New Year's wishes of the Committee of the Regions and the large-scale changes envisaged (end of its members' four year mandate, end of President Jos Chabert's biennial mandate). This newsletter itself is going to merge with that of the "Regions and Communities of Europe" but will retain its aim of providing information to the public on the plenary sessions and main Opinions and Resolutions that are passed…
*** Article 88-4 de la Constitution. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Kiosque de l'Assemblée nationale, 4, rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr )."Les documents législatifs de l'Assemblée nationale" series, No 3503. 2002, 304 pp, 6 euros. ISBN 2-11-115577-2.
MPs Alain Barrau, Bernard Derosier and Maurice Ligot present the work carried out by the National French Assembly Delegation between 12 October and 7 December 2001. This period witnessed sixty Community Act Proposals passed by the government under Article 88-4 of the Constitution in the areas of agriculture, foreign trade, consumer issues, the environment, a freedom area, justice and security, fishing, foreign policy, joint security and external relations…
*** La Biblioteca della libertà. Centro di ricerca e documentazione Luigi Einaudi, 4 via Ponza, I-10121 Torino. Tel: (39-11) 5591611 - Fax: 5591691 - E-mail: segreteria@centroeinaudi.it - Internet: http: //http://www.centroeinaudi.it ). 2001, No 159, 99 pp, 11.36 euros.
In brief: "The future of Europe and the Liberal Tradition", "Can the Nation State still be of Use to its Citizens?". An article also focuses on the "The Collapse of Italy" and asks, among other questions, whether a reform à l'americaine is being hatched.
*** La Lettre de Confrontations. Confrontations (41 rue Emile Zola, F-93107 Montreuil cedex. Tel: (33-1) 49881194 - Fax: 49881184 - E-mail: confrontations@wanadoo.fr - Internet: http://www.confrontations.org ). Décembre 2001 - January 2002, No 53, 27pp, 4.60 euros.
"Long Live Europe" is how Claude Fischer warmly observed the way in which Europeans welcomed the arrival of the euro. Other subjects tackled include a main article on, "Europe after Laeken" and the findings of a seminar on encouraging pro-active European policy"…
Reviews in brief
*** Newspot. No. 30, 2001. Ankara. Examining the progress achieved by Turkey towards joining the EU - according to this publication, this constitutes one of the biggest worries amongst most Turks. This is the main focus of this newsletter, as well as an in-depth analysis of the Laeken Summit. Turkish foreign policy is looked at, in connection with its relations with Greece and Armenia Economy at the Crossroads. Economic forecasts revised downwards, consumer and cross-border litigation regulation, etc.